Thursday morning crash shuts down Highway 13

A two-vehicle crash closed Colorado Highway 13 for an hour Thursday morning north of Craig.

The crash happened shortly before 8 a.m. near mile marker 95.

According to the Colorado State Patrol, a Ford Explorer carrying three passengers was headed south toward Craig. The driver of the vehicle lost control, went into a skid and collided with a snowplow from the Colorado Department of Transportation that was heading north.

The state patrol reported that there were injuries involved, but none were life-threatening.

“There were three people in the passenger vehicle and they were transported to the hospital, but I think we’re just talking about minor injuries,” trooper Chris Lorio said.

The highway was closed until about 9 a.m. because of debris from the crash.

“When (the driver) hit the plow, it actually knocked a large section of, basically, one of the plow blades off, so it blocked the roadway,” Lorio said.

Lorio said the crash was primarily a result of inattentive driving that caused the driver of the SUV to lose control, although weather also played a factor.

Speed is not considered a factor.

The driver of the Explorer was traveling at around 40 miles per hour at the time of the crash, and the plow was doing around 30, the state patrol reported.

Lorio said the driver of the Explorer was given a citation for careless driving.

The Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, Craig Fire/Rescue and The Memorial Hospital EMS also responded to the scene.